5/8/2008 We just posted the May issue. Print subscribers, we start mailing tomorrow. You can watch a YouTube demo of Boom Blox.
5/6/2008 Like Taking Candy from a Baby: How Young Children Interact With Online Environments is now available from Consumer Reports WebWatch. Authored by CTR Editor Warren Buckleitner (a WebWatch advisor), the report combines ethnographic techniques with YouTube, to make the case that when it comes to young children's (ages 2-8) online content, we all need to take a close look at what's going on when a young child sits down with a browser. Download a PDF of the report here.
4/7/2008 Remembering Dith Pran
by Warren Buckleitner. In the early spring of 2001, David Pogue interviewed me for an article for the New York Times. A few days later, a staff photographer stopped by our office in Flemington for the story. That photographer made a lasting impression. My wife, Ellen Wolock remembers a wiry, energitic guy, with a huge smile that exuded joy. After every picture, he'd turn his new digital camera around so the children could see the viewfinder, and marvel at his work, saying "New York Times photographer -- very good." At one point, he took off his shoes and started jumping on chairs, barefoot, for a better angle. Here's the photo he snapped that day, while standing on my desk.
Little did we know that we should've been the ones taking pictures of him. As he left, he handed me a card with the URL www.dithpran.org. It was only then that we realized that we had just met the famous Cambiodian refugee whose story was portrayed in the movie "The Killing Fields." That huge smile that had charmed us was the same that had convinced the Khmer Rouge soldiers to allow the New York Times reporters to help tell the world of the horrors that were going on in Cambodia from 1975-79, when 1.5 million people died. Dith Pran died last week of pancreatic cancer. But his joy of living, despite all that he had suffered in his life, is a reminder that we should not take our freedom for granted. In Dith Pran's words, when it comes to any form of genocide, "once is too many."
3/17/2008 Dora and her older cousin Diego are featured in a new line of games from 2Kplay. These, and 35 other new releases are covered in our March issue.
2/25/2008 We've discovered more titles that bend the definition of Educational Technology, once again.
1/2/2008 Get Children's Technology Review for less than one poorly selected Wii game -- just $30 for one year (12 issues, in PDF format, no database or back issue access). Order online or call 800-993-9499 (9-3:00 EST)
12/17/2007 The December issue has been sent to subscribers. Happy holidays, and we'll see you next year!
11/28/2007 Curious about Rock Band and some of the latest music titles? See the New York Times article by CTR Editor Warren Buckleitner: Your Rock and Roll Fantasy.
11/8/2007 Thanks to everyone who made Dust or Magic 2007 happen this year. For those of you who missed it, have a look at the wiki for notes, movies and brainsprints.
4.8.07 The study Effectiveness of Reading and Mathematics Software Products: Findings from the First Student Cohort is important to read, as it is sure to become a reference point in discussions of the role computers can play in our classrooms. The key conclusion is "Test scores were not significantly higher in classrooms using selected reading and mathematics software products." Here's a few points to keep in mind:
1. They tested 15 products, but there is no listing of scores by product. So which ones are the best or the worst? That will come next year, when the part two is released. This will be more useful.
2. The scores didn't go down in the technology group. So another way to read the conclusion is that the technology solutions are equally as effective as the traditional methods. Which is easiest to implement and/or most affordable?
3. Standarized tests were used to measure the outcome. Is this the correct yardstick? Have a look at the study and make your own conclusions.
We're familar with most of the products that were used in the study. We're pleased that they are being tested (after all, we certainly test our students enough). We also feel that many of these products could use interactive techniques much better than they do. Very often, the content is less than interactive and rarely wanders from the multiple-choice format. WE CAN DO MUCH BETTER with the interactive curriculum being sold to our schools.
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Children's Technology Review
May 2008
Volume 16, No. 5, Issue 98
Get Children's Technology Review monthly for $30/year. Subscribe online and download the current issue.
Teachers: It’s Time to Wii
I took a call last week from a subscriber from a large New Jersey school, serving children with special needs. She explained that her students ranged widely both in age (from K-12) and in their cognitive and motor abilities.
She was on the hunt for new software. I started by mentioning some classics, like Exploring Verbs Sterling Edition from Laureate Learning Systems and 2Simple Math Games (both reviewed in this issue). But she wanted something more. As I glanced over the top-rated products from last year, I made a recommendation that I could hardly believe I was saying. “Get a Wii,” I blurted, immediately feeling better after saying it. There was silence. “A what?” she said. “A Wii, from Nintendo.” “What’s a Wii?”
After providing a quick Wii 101 tutorial over the phone, I started to convince myself that my recommendation made a lot of sense. “For a social, engaging classroom experience, you just can’t beat what a Wii can do, especially with four controllers,” I said. Now of course, every school board member is going to ask the same question at once. “What’s a Wii have to do with our curriculum?” That answer obviously depends on how you define “curriculum.” But consider this reality. Using our database, I can find a growing number of viable educational releases for either the Wii or the DS. And these are titles that ask children to touch and move rather than point and click.
Take the spatial thinking and impulse control required to knock down a tower of blocks in Boom Blox (on this month’s cover) or the hundreds of realistic animal facts waiting to be discovered in Wild Earth African Safari (on page 16).
And at Mediatech, we’re training future New Jersey drivers with Mario Kart Wii (if you’ve ever tried to drive into Manhattan during rush hour, you know what I mean). As we ended the conversation, it was clear that I had her pretty confused, but she noted that she was at least eager to give a Wii a try. She then said “I have just one more question. Where can I buy one?”
Enjoy the issue.
Warren Buckleitner, Editor
PS. The Consumer Reports WebWatch study on how young children use online content is finally available. Let me know what you think!
NEW REVIEWS & NEW RELEASES for May 2008
2Simple Math Games 1
Backyard Sports Baseball ‘09
Boom Blox
Build-A-Bear Workshop A Friend Fur All Seasons
Building Thinking Skills Level 2
Chaotic Trading Card Game: Starter Deck
Cory in the House
Deca Sports
Diner Dash: Flo on the Go
Disney Pix Jr. Digital Camera For Preschoolers
Eco-Creatures
Exploring Nouns Sterling Edition
Exploring Verbs Sterling Edition
Farm Vet
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue
High School Musical 2: Work This Out!
Let’s Face It!
Lost Cases of Sherlock Holmes, The
Lowey Hija & Friends (Book One, Ages 2-6)
MapleStory
Mario Kart Wii
Matrix Math Plus
My Horse & Me (Wii)
Naruto: Path of the Ninja
NetOp School
Okami
Operation Vietnam
Pajama Sam in “Don’t Fear the Dark”
Petz: Horsez 2 (Wii)
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time
Pulse Smartpen
Putt-Putt Saves the Zoo
Weekly Reader Visual Guides: Weather & Global Warming
Wild Earth: African Safari
Word Roots A1 Software
From last month: Getting the Most From Each Click, by Warren Buckleitner
I've been up to my ears in children's online content lately, having just finished a small ethnographic study on how young children use the Internet for Consumer Reports WebWatch. In the study, we put video cameras in ten households that had both young children and broadband, and asked parents to record what happened. It was a learning experience. I watched children as young as three use Google to look up sites (don't tell them they can't read!) and an eight-year-old check his mom's email to give himself permission to download a game.
But most of what I watched was young children spending a lot of time on sites like Webkinz, Club Penguin, Noggin, Addicting Games, Everything Girl and Millsberry with content that can best be described as commercialized and lacking educational benefit. In terms of the "quality per click" ratio, the time I observed on the computer was not nearly as valuable as time with activities such as pre-Internet titles like Millie's Math House, The Logical Journey of the Zoombinies or The Living Books; titles that delivered powerful interactive experiences with nary a banner or shopping cart to be found. While ten families is hardly a generalizable sample, the idea that so many children are doing so little of significance with web-based content is rather unsettling.
The type of online experience I find to be much more exciting may possibly be pictured on this month's cover (and is previewed on page 19). Lego Universe (http://www.legouniverse.com) will attempt to be a community building experience, where crowds of real people can meet and build things. Imagine thousands of builders from all around the world, with piles of Lego blocks on hand. We could build our own city, or we could make a really big mess. In either case, we'd probably have fun. I sure hope Lego can pull this one off.
For this month's LittleClickers, on page 4 and at http://www.littleclickers.com, we turn to the Internet to learn more about bugs, and discover some rather creepy facts, including one bug that grows as large as your hand. We also discovered a moth that made some history by becoming the first computer bug. In my mind, that's a pretty special bug. Here's hoping that all your bugs stay in your garden this spring, far away from your computer.
APRIL 2008 NEW REVIEWS & NEW RELEASES, BY CATEGORY
Babies & Toddlers
Cypher, www.coldfusion.com, p. 14
Laugh & Learn Smart Bounce & Spin Pony, www.fisher-price.com, p. 18
Preschool & Kindergarten
Cosmic Family, www.ubisoft.com, p. 14
Dora the Explorer: Dora Saves the Mermaids, www.take2games.com, p 8
JumpStart Advanced Preschool World, www.knowledgeadventure.com, p. 18
PBS Kids Play! www.pbskidsplay.org, p. 10
Early Elementary
Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Burning Earth, www.thq.com, p. 13
Barbiegirls.com, www.mattel.com, p. 5
DreamBox Learning, www.dreambox.com, p. 14
Everythinggirl.com www.everythinggirl.com and www.mattel.com, p. 15
Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends: Imagination Invaders, www.midway.com, p 8
KidZui.com, www.kidzui.com, p. 18
Nicktropolis, www.nicktropolis.com, p. 20
RedZee www.redzee.com, p. 21
Webnjenz (www.webnjenz.com), www.webnjenz.com, p. 22
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX The Beginning of Destiny, www.konami.com, p. 22
ZooKazoo, www.kidkazoo.com, p. 23
Middle School
Diner Dash 2: Restaurant Rescue, www.brightermindsmedia.com, p. 14
Guitar Hero: On Tour (DS), www.activision.com, p. 16
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore, www.konami.com, p. 9
Kung Fu Panda, www.activision.com, p. 18
Lego Universe, www.lego.com, p. 19
Major League Baseball 2K8, www.2ksports.com, p. 19
Nanostray 2, www.majescoentertainment.com, p. 9
Planetarium Platinum Edition, www.innovative-knowledge.com, p. 11
Sega Rally Revo, www.sega.com, p. 21
SimCity Box, The, www.ea.com, p. 21
SingStar '90s, www.us.playstation.com, p. 21
Super Smash Brothers Brawl, www.nintendo.com, p. 12
Upper Elementary
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, www.capcom.com, p. 13
Bratz Super Babyz (DS), www.thq.com
Burnout Paradise, www.ea.com, p. 13
Cranium Kabookii, www.ubisoft.com, p. 14
Dance Dance Revolution Disney Channel Edition, www.konami.com, p. 6
Disney Friends, www.disney.com, p. 7
ezJam Guitar, www.ezGear.com, p. 16
High School Musical Air Jammers Guitar, www.zizzle.com, p. 17
High School Musical Hip Pop Dance Jammer, www.zizzle.com, p. 17
High School Musical Screen Scenez, www.zizzle.com, p. 17
High School Musical Sing-A-Long Mic, www.zizzle.com
Hot Shots Golf Out of Bounds, www.us.playstation.com, p. 8
Intel ClassMate PC 2, www.intel.com, p. 17
Naruto: Ninja Destiny, www.d3publisher.us, p. 20
NCAA Football 08, www.easports.com, p. 9
Ninja Reflex (Nintendo DS), www.ea.com, p. 10
Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, www.us.playstation.com, p. 20
Sega Bass Fishing (Wii), www.sega.com, p. 11
Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity, www.sega.com, p. 11
TripFLIX, www.tripflix.com, p. 22
World of Neopia, www.nick.com, p. 22
Schools
Creativity Express: Let's Start with Art!, www.madcaplogic.com, p 6
Discover Intensive Phonics Version 4.0, www.readinghorizons.com, p 7
Exploring Nouns, www.laureatelearning.com, p. 15
Exploring Verbs, www.laureatelearning.com, p. 16
Microsoft Office: Mac 2008 (Home Student Edition), www.microsoft.com, p. 19
Thinkfinity.org, www.verizon.com/foundation
V-Frog, www.tactustech.com, p. 22
All Ages
AudibleKids (www.audiblekids.com), www.audiblekids.com, p. 13
QX5 Microscope, www.playdigitalblue.com, p. 20
Sony Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller (PS3), www.us.playstation.com, p. 21
March 2008 Editorial (Cartoons 2.0
I was fully prepared to *not* like a new series of video games for preschoolers, featuring Nickelodeon’s Dora and her older cousin Diego. During the demo, held at 2K Play’s New York studio last month, the title made a poor first impression on me -- with too much narration and a clunky “save game” startup sequence. I’ve been less-than-impressed by past attempts by game publishers like 2K Play (Take2) to make titles for children.
But our testers at Mediatech set the record straight. The first clue was when a 12-year-old boy refused to stop playing Go, Diego, Go! Safari Rescue, (reviewed on page 12). I had asked him to load the Wii version for his little sister, but he was willing to risk his sixth-grade self-esteem to keep playing with Diego. As I tested the game a vision of the future of the Saturday morning cartoon ritual snapped into place. It won’t be long before interactive stories are downloaded via broadband to the game console’s internal memory, to be played throughout the week as part of your cable subscription. After all, it’s more fun to jump into the adventure than to just passively watch, and given the option, children will make the active choice.
Other noteworthy titles in this issue include a scavenger hunt adventure (American Girl: Mia Goes for Great from www.thq.com), another great “street” sports game from EA (FIFA Street 3, www.eagames.com), a timely political simulation called Global Conflicts: Palestine from www.seriousgames.dk and a handheld spelling game from Franklin called Speaking Spelling Bee. For non CTR subscribers, you can see a New York Times write-up of that Speaking Spelling Bee.
Have a great spring.
Warren Buckleitner, Editor
About Children's Technology Review
| Children's Technology Review(TM) is a MONTHLY electronic (PDF) publication (with a laser print option for archival purposes). It is published on the first business day of each month. |
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Children's Technology Review (CTR) is an ad-free, subscriber-supported web and print-based publication. It is designed to keep educators, parents and librarians informed on commercial interactive media products designed for children, aged birth- to 15-years. These are the products that children use for both fun and learning, either at home and/or at school. They include software, video games, interactive toys, web sites that a child might visit, and so on. From a theoretical perspective, CTR exists in the space between child development and interactive media. The Children's Software Finder(TM), our database of more than 7,300 reviews, has become a critical step in our core subscribers' purchasing-making decisions. |
